A 有 (的) B
Reach for this when A has B, or B exists somewhere/within A — 'America has a president,' 'Iran has a lot of oil,' 'our company has a new policy.' 有 covers both possession ('I have a car') and existence ('there are five people'). It's one of the most-used verbs in Chinese precisely because English splits this meaning across 'have,' 'there is,' and 'exists.'
Structure
[A] 有 [B]
yǒu
How to Think About It
有 has ONE negation: 没. The instinct from English to say 不有 is wrong — 不 doesn't combine with 有, ever. Only 没 (or 没有 with an object) negates it. This is the single exception to the rule that 不 negates verbs, and learners trip on it for years if they don't internalize it early.
Examples
美国有一个总统叫特朗普。
Měiguó yǒu yī gè zǒngtǒng jiào Tèlǎngpǔ.
America has a president named Trump.
我家有三口人。
Wǒ jiā yǒu sān kǒu rén.
My family has three people.
今天有很多人来。
Jīntiān yǒu hěn duō rén lái.
There are a lot of people coming today.
Common Mistake
Learners negate 有 with 不 by analogy with other verbs. The negation of 有 is always 没 or 没有 — 不有 is not a valid Chinese phrase.
我不有钱。
我没有钱。
Don't Confuse With
是 + Noun
Use 是 to identify (A is B); use 有 to possess or assert existence (A has B / there is B).
在 + Place
在 says A is AT a place (known A, location unknown); 有 introduces something new at a location (known place, A unknown): 桌子上有一本书.
没 + Verb
没 negates 有 AND past actions (没去 = didn't go). For non-past negation of other verbs, use 不.
Practice
我_____ 一辆车。 (have)
Show answer
有
他_____ 时间, 不能去。 (no)
Show answer
没有 (or 没)
Arrange: 有 / 弟弟 / 一个 / 我 / 妹妹 / 一个 / 和
Show answer
我有一个弟弟和一个妹妹。
Translate: This city has many famous restaurants.
Show answer
这个城市有很多有名的饭馆。
Write a sentence about something your country has.
Show answer
我们国家有很多漂亮的山。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode. Press play to hear the sentence:
美国有一个总统叫特朗普。
The United States has a president called Trump.
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional SurrenderElementary
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear A 有 (的) B in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.